Hat blocking and pressing machine



9. 9 mm r. p A d e t n e .t a P v H A C IL u M u L Rm 2 0, 3 2 6 m N HATBLJGKING AND PRESSING MACHINE.

(Applicatin led June 22, 1898.)

(No Model.) rg. 7.

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No. 623,028. Patented Apr.||, |899. v

C. MuLcAHY; HAT BLDCKING AND PRESSING MCHINE.

V (Applicatio 9 L ed June 22, 18 8) I NTTED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

'JOSEPH C. MULCAHY, OF MATTEAVVAN, NEW YORK.

I --lAT BLOCKING AND PRESSING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 623,028, dated April11, 1899.

Application iiled .Tune 22,1898- Serial No. 684,163. (No model To @ZZwhom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH C.- MULCAHY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Matteawan, in the county of Dutchess and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Blocking andPressing Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to improvements in stamping or pressing machineswherein goods are for-med into the shape of a die or mold, generally forheadwear, by using a flexible block or bag filled with a suitableelastic or semi-elastic material and forced into the die by lever orother pressure, so as to cause the goods to conform to the shape of thedie.

The invention may be beneficially employed in making all goods in themanner stated, or pressed in such manner after being made, where sharpangles or corners are required, but is especially designed to overcomecertain difliculties existing in the making of Manila and J ava hats. Atpresent the angles or corners at the juncture of the side walls of thecrowns with the tips of these hats are formed by the flexible block orbag alone or by the use of pads made of a material'resemblingsole-leather stuck on the tip of the block. These methods are, however,objectionable and unsatisfactory, because in the former casethe'req'uired pressure cannot be obtained after the block has been sometime in use, and in the latter the material soon gets out of shape andhas to be frequently replaced, even when the goods are of the samegrade, owing to the fact that there are several grades of goods varyingin thickness, and frequently the thickness of goods of the same gradevaries. When the tip-pad is made large enough to form a good corner orangle, it is liable to force too much of the goods to the tip of the hatand form wrinkles, and it is also diiiicult to withdraw from the die,often becoming detached from the block and sometimes tearing or pullingit apart, all of which takes time to remedy and is a source of expense4and annoyance.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and effective cap orangle-forming attachment for blocks of this character which issutciently rigid to form a sharp and nicely-finished angle and at thesame time capable of yielding or contracting and eX- panding with theblock to cause the goods to conform to the shape of the die; also, t0provide an angle-forming cap which is strong and durable and capable ofbeing used indefinitely and adapted to be readily and convenientlyapplied and removed from the block whenever desired.

tion of block or head patented to D. E. Foley February 9, 1897, No.576,567, without, however, intending to limit it in application thereto.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a hat blockingand'pressin g machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional viewof the die, showing a hat forced therein by the block. F ig. 3 is a sideeleva* tion of the block and angle-forming cap or reinforce appliedthereto.` Fig. l is a central vertical section, and Fig. 5 a top planview, thereof. Fig. 6 is an outer perspective View of the angle-formingcap detached; Fig. 7, an inner perspective view of same, and Fig. 8 isan enlarged detail view of one of the sections thereof..

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, wherein like letters ofreference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, Arepresents the main frame of a hat blocking and pressing machinein con`nection with which-my invention is shown in the present instanceemployed, said frame comprising side standards B, a cross-bar C,connecting the same, and vertical guide-rods D. Between the standardsand mounted to slide up and down on the rods is a reciprocating frame E,which carries a table F and is adapted to be raised and lowered in theusual manner by means of a lever or other suitable manually-operated orpower-driven mechan- IOO . mal positions.

ism. The ordinary heated die G is secured to the cross-bar C and isprovided with a brim- Iiange II.

The head or block I is mounted on the bed J, which is provided with anannular pressing-plate K, between which and the flange II of the die thebrim portion of the hat is pressed. Said head or block comprises acasing of rubber or other yielding material formed of the required shapeand filled with a liquid, iuid, or yielding body of sand or othersuitable material.

The angle or `corner forming cap or reinforce consists otl two parts orsections L and L', each comprising in its construction an approximatelysemicircular side wall M, formed of spring metal, and a top wallcomposed of two or more sections N and N', secured thereto and formingtherewith a sharp corner or angle n. The said top wall sections may ormay not be made of spring met-al, and the meeting edges o and o/ thereofare beveled and overlap so as to forni a smooth nearly-Hush joint of thesame, or substantially the same, thickness as the walls, which permitsthe section to expand and contract, the resiliency ofthe side wallserving to restore the parts to their nor- The said sections of the topwall are shown as cut away centrally to reduceweight and facilitateexpansion and contraction; but this is not absolutely essential. 'lhecap-sections thus constructed are ap plied to the block in the mannershown in Figs. 3 and 4, the top walls thereof resting upon the tip ofthe block and the side walls encompassing the upper portion of the sidewall of the crown of said block, so that the angle n formed therebycovers the corner-angle ot' the block. Said cap-sections may be glued orotherwise permanently or temporarily secured to the block, but areslidably connected to each other by means of pins and loops orotherwise, so that they may move apart or elongate to conform totheshape of long and narrow hatcrowns. These adjustments are indicated inbroken lines in Figs. .6, 7, and 8. The meeting ends of the side wallsand top wall sections of the two parts of the device are also beveledoff and overlap to form smooth joints. It will thus be seen that theinvention provides a substantial, rigid, or unyielding and well-definedcorner or angle for the block, which may be used indenitely withoutlosing its shape and yielding tip and side walls capable of expandingand contracting therewith when forced into the die.

In operation the hat to be shaped or pressed is placed on the head orblock, and then the frame E is elevated to carry the hat and said blockinto the die and apply sufcient pressure thereto to eiiectually pressthe hat. The preliminary upward movement of the frame E moves the hatand block into the die G, and the iinal upward pressure applied 4on thelower surface of the block causes the yielding [illing therein to expandthe surfaces of said block equally and firmly in all directions againstthe interior of the hat and press the same evenly against the entireinner walls of the die G. During this operation the cap yields with thehat to compensate for variations in the thickness of material and toconform to the shape of the die, while the reinforced corner of the dieforms a sharp angle at the juncture of the side wall of the crown withthe tip or top wall of the hat without straining or tearing the same andwithout causing the formation of wrinkles. The top and side walls of thecap also firmly press and finish the upper portion of the side wall andtip of the crown, so that the corner-angle will be reinforced andrendered more durable.

From the above description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, the construction andv operation of my invention will bereadily understood. Its advantages are, first, that it may be usedindefinitely and effectually protects and prolongs the life of theblocks; second, it concentrates the pressure at the angle of the crownwhere it is most needed and forms the angles on all hats pressed equallywell, and, third, it eftectuall y adjusts itself to all the differentgrades of goods of different thicknesses and takes up the slack therein,thus avoiding the formation of wrinkles. Many other advantages ensuingfrom its use will also be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim-as new anduseful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

An angle-forming cap or reinforce for presser'heads or blocks,consisting of two independent sections or members each comprising anapproximately semicircular resilient side wall adapted to contract andexpand and a tip or top wall constructed of two or more sections toexpand or contract with the side wall, the said sections or membersbeing slidably connected, substantial-ly as described.V

In testimony whereof I aftix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH C. MULCAHY.

Vitnesses:

EDWARD RoGERs, DAVID L. CAREY.

IOO

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